Isaac's effect on lake: Drop in the bucket

Isaac's effect on lake: Drop in the bucket

DECATUR -- People here have been waiting for rain all summer. Even though we finally got some this weekend, it wasn't enough to get Lake Decatur back on track. WCIA-3's Ashley Michels has more in our Drought Watch.

"My husband said all along, what we needed was a hurricane to bring that water."

And, that's just what Lake Decatur got over the weekend. The tail end of Isaac dumped about 3-1/2" of rain in the area. But, city officials say the dry ground soaked up most of the water before it could make it to the lake.

"We were certainly hoping it would be higher, but we have to realize the drought we've been suffering through has been with us for over 12-months."

So, the grass is a little bit greener, but the lake isn't much higher.

"It's a start, but we need a lot more."

"Any rain is better than no rain at this point."

It's up more than 4" from Friday. Still, that's 3-1/2' below the summer average. Officials say the level could rise again in the next few days though, as water from other counties trickles in.

"We will get additional water in the next few days. It won't be a large amount of water, but we'll take every bit we can get."

Even though the latest round of water wasn't much help, experts say it sets the stage for the road to recovery.

"We'd like to think that the ground is saturated now, so if we got another 2 - 4" of rain, let's say, over the next few days, that would certainly go a long way to helping us out."

City leaders say despite the rain, they don't expect to lift any water restrictions.